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Carlos and Jane were standing at the head of the group. It was tradition for the juniors to coordinate and judge the quest, so while Jay was sad Carlos couldn’t participate, he knew his friend had had a blast putting everything together. He’d heard Carlos and Jane laughing over the list many times leading up to this night.
“Okay!” said Jane, holding up a hand to get everyone’s attention. “You guys know the rules. There are no rules! First one back to the goalpost with everything on the list wins!”
Jay pulled his motorbike up next to Lonnie’s horse. They had agreed to work together as a team. “What’s on the list?” he asked.
“Um, let me see,” Lonnie replied. “First: ‘Bring back a shard from Cinderella’s glass slipper.’ That’s in the museum, isn’t it?”
“No, that’s the whole one. We need a piece from the one that broke,” said Jay. “That would be in Cinderella’s castle.”
“Yes!”
Groups of seniors were already beginning to break away from the tourney field, laughing and cheering as the quest began in earnest, while Jay and Lonnie continued working on their game plan. Chad’s parents, Cinderella and Prince Charming, lived in a castle in nearby Charmington, Jay remembered. It wouldn’t be too hard a ride, although Jay was starting to think that maybe a horse and a motorbike weren’t the best modes of transport.
“Should we drive instead?” asked Lonnie.
“For sure,” said Jay with a grin. “I know where they keep the royal limo.”
They dismounted and bolted to the car. Once Jay was at the wheel, they sped out of the school grounds, a motorcade of electric carriages filled with rowdy seniors right behind them.
“So, do you know what you’re going to do after?” Jay asked as they zoomed up the main road.
Lonnie was still studying the list. “After we win this thing?”
“No, after graduation.”
“I think I’m doing a gap year,” she said as she folded the map.
“Is that some Northern Wei thing?”
“No, silly. It’s an Auradon thing. Some kids delay going to college to see the world.”
“Oh, cool.”
“This is our exit,” she said, pointing to the sign. “Anyway, I’m still not sure if I’m going to college or going pro.”
“Pro?”
“There are some professional R.O.A.R. teams coming to recruit at Auradon Prep soon. You should meet them too!” she said. “That way you’ll know all your options.”
Jay considered it. He hadn’t counted on his hobby becoming a profession, but it sounded like a worthy idea. “When will they be here?”
“Next week. Will you remember this time?”
“I’ll try,” he said. “Will you remind me?”
She laughed. “Fine. And I think we’re here,” she said, as they pulled up to a towering castle in the woods.
he next meeting of the Royal Council didn’t involve scones, mostly because it was after dinner, but Ben’s disappointment was assuaged when he noticed that Mrs. Potts was serving dessert instead. Pies and pudding en flambé. Yum. He shared a conspiratorial wink with Mal.
His parents were already at the table with Fairy Godmother. After exchanging a few pleasantries and going over the notes for the upcoming trade meeting, Ben steered the conversation back to the decision about Mal’s official itinerary.
“Do we really need to discuss this right now?” King Beast yawned.
“Yes, we do,” said Ben. They were already late for the Senior Quest, and if this meeting didn’t wrap up soon, he and Mal had no shot at the trophy—or bragging rights.
“Sending Mal to the Isle of the Lost doesn’t seem like a terrible idea,” said Queen Belle gently. “She is from there, and they are our people too.”
Fairy Godmother scraped up the last bit of her pudding en flambé. “I agree with Belle,” she said. “It’s not a terrible idea—I just worry it might be a dangerous one.”
